Minor League Opening Day has come and gone, and all is good in the world! As we ever-so patiently await today’s Twins opener, we were able to peruse the box scores of four Twins affiliates. Opening Day is a sign of hope, especially for the guys who had good games. If players had rough games, hey, it’s just one of 144 games! But it is box scores and games that count.

Which prospects will rise, and which will fall? Will any of the teams make the playoffs? They are questions that no one knows the answer to, but each of those answers start on Opening Day.

Below you’ll find the results of each of the Twins minor league games as well as some of the highlights.

ROCHESTER 7, SYRACUSE 4Matt Carson’s debut with the Red Wings was a successful one. The eldest player on the Rochester had hits in his first four at bats. He was 4-5 with a double and a triple. Brian Dozier doubles in his first AAA at bat and singled in his second. He was 2-4 with a walk. Aaron Bates went 2-3 with two walks. Drew Butera went 2-3 with a sac fly, a double and a two-run home run that bounced off the foul pole. PJ Walters started and threw four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked two while striking out four. Jeff Manship and pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings. Tyler Robertson then gave up three runs (2 earned) on one hit and a walk in an inning. Brendan Wise replaced him and gave up a run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Casey Fien recorded the Save with a perfect 1-2-3 ninth frame.

Behind the Box Score – Tyler Robertson’s stats may not look good at the end of the day, but he had Key Moment #1 of the game. With the Red Wings leading 2-0 in the 6^th inning, Bryce Harper came to the plate as the potential tying run. Robertson came in to replace Manship. He struckout Harper and then got veteran Jason Michaels to pop out to end the inning. It was a key moment at the time. Brian Dinkelman was just 1-4 in the game, but after Robertson’s key moment, Dinkelman gave the team Key Moment #2. His bases-clearing triple off of the right field wall gave the Red Wings a 5-0 lead.

NEW BRITAIN 3, RICHMOND 2Luke French has made 25 big league starts, yet the 26-year-old lefty finds himself starting in Double-A. In this game, he threw five shutout innings, allowing two hits. He walked two and struckout four. Deolis Guerra came in and continued the dominance he displayed after his transition to the bullpen last season. He threw two perfect innings and struckout three. Daniel Turpen, acquired for Kevin Slowey, threw a scoreless eighth inning. He came out for the ninth inning, holding a three-run lead. He recorded two outs, but allowed two runs on four hits. Lester Oliveros came in and struckout the one batter he faced for the save. Mark Dolenc and James Beresford were each 2-3. Chris Herrmann was 2-4 with an RBI. Evan Bigley notched a double.

FT. MYERS MIRACLE 8, CHARLOTTE 6The Miracle nearly completed a miraculous comeback, but it fell short. However, the big news in this game was that Scott Baker made the start but lasted just three batters and 11 pitches. He left the field complaining that he just could not get warmed up. Edgar Ibarra came in and the lefty pitched well. He gave up three hits and a walk but no runs in 2.2 innings. Jose Gonzalez came in for the 4^th inning and gave up three runs on three hits. He did strikeout three. Ricky Bowen came in and gave up one run on four hits in three innings. He walked none and struckout three. Matt Hauser pitched the final inning and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk.

Danny Santana had a nice Florida State League debut. He went 3-4 with a walk and two doubles. Angel Morales went 3-4 with a stolen base. Oswaldo Arcia singled his first time up. Then he walked three straight times. He added a stolen base.

BELOIT 2, PEORIA 5Eden Prairie’s Madison Boer threw two scoreless innings to start the game. In the third inning, he gave up four runs (3 earned). He gave up another unearned run in the fourth inning. Matt Tomshaw came in and threw two perfect innings, striking out three. Matt Summers struckout the side in the 7^th inning. Nelvin Fuentes threw a scoreless 8^th inning despite giving up a hit and two walks. Bart Carter struckout two in the ninth.

The Snappers offense didn’t show up on Opening night. The team managed just five hits. Jhonathan Goncalves had two of them. Eddie Rosario and Danny Ortiz each had a double. Of course, they each also had an error. Miguel was 0-3 in his MWL debut. He was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance and then stole second base.

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For much more on the Twins Minor League system, be sure to listen to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly episode. Travis Aune and I discussed all four games and many of the players.

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Thursday, April 5, 2012 Players of the Day

Hitter of the Day – Matt Carson

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Pitcher of the Day – Luke French

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A Look Ahead – Friday, April 6, 2012 Schedule

Rochester @ Syracuse – 3:00 (CST) – Scott Diamond

Richmond @ New Britain (Doubleheader, Game 1 @ 3:35 CST) – Steve Hirschfeld, Logan Darnell

Charlotte @ Ft. Myers – Pat Dean (6:05 CST)

Peoria @ Beloit – 6:30 – ?

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If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!